Recently, the Federal Government has adopted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that requires architectural signage in all buildings and places accessible by the public to contain letters, numerals, and braille characters that are raised off the surface of the sign. The Act specifies that the characters be raised at least 32 mils above their supporting surface, so as to be easily distinguished, even by touch by a disabled person. In addition to complying with the new legislation, the sign should also look aesthetically pleasing and be durable under heavy use conditions.
Mass production of the more commonly used signage affords an economic means to comply with the new legislation. For example, such ADA compliance signage can be fabricated from metals, such as solid brass, copper and magnesium. Such signage is also available that has been fabricated using routing, injection molding, plastic casting, and photo and/or chemical etching techniques. However, there does not presently exist an economic means for providing compliance signs in limited quantities or custom designs.